A snowstorm hammering the plains region is delivering up to 15 inches of snow in some states, but meteorologists say it is not enough to ease harmful drought conditions that have plagued the area for the past two years.

Kansas is being hit the hardest by a fast-moving snowstorm that has already dumped up to 14 inches of snow in the central and northeast sections of the state since Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Heavy snow is also impacting Colorado eastward though Nebraska and central Missouri. Further south, a combination of freezing rain and sleet is causing treacherous conditions across central Oklahoma and southern Kansas.

Winter storm warnings and advisories were announced throughout the central and southern Plains, with government office and school closings reported in Missouri and Kansas. The Kansas City International Airport is also temporarily shut down and almost 200 flights have been canceled.

Cancellations were also reported at Denver International Airport, mostly for flights into Midwest destinations in Kansas and Nebraska, and 90 fights were canceled at Lambert Airport in St. Louis. Legislatures in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Iowa all shut down Thursday.

The storm is expected to move eastward late Thursday night and into Friday morning across the Great Lakes region, where snowfall between 3 to 7 inches is expected, the result of weakening gusts as it travels into the Ohio Valley.